dlw88's Profile
ROMANTIC ANNIVERSARY LUNCH DOWNTOWN
The garden patio at George is beautiful, and the food is probably just right for such a special occasion lunch. I'd be worried about boisterous corporate lunches at most indoor top tier restaurants in the area, taking away from some of the romance.
No meat, no gluten, no dairy. OH MY!!!
My sister is staying in the East Village, and I told her I'd do my best to help her find some delicious places to accommodate her dietary restrictions. I'm hoping for all price ranges, and she's a very adventurous eater.
Any help is greatly appreciated - THANKS!
Fish-friendly restaurants on a budget DOWNTOWN
Looking to help out my parents who will be downtown on a Saturday.
My father eats only fish and vegetable dishes, while my mother loves her meat. Can anyone suggest a delicious place to accomodate them with mains around $20, in the downtown area?
Suggestion(s) needed: hipster place with good seafood and veg options
I would definitely agree with The Atlantic, and will also add Yours Truly.
Analysis Paralysis - Help me choose a restaurant: Nota Bene, Acadia, Campagnolo, Frank's Kitchen? Other?
Best of luck, and enjoy your meal!...along the lines of Enoteca and Camagnolo, Buca ranks highest in my books.
Analysis Paralysis - Help me choose a restaurant: Nota Bene, Acadia, Campagnolo, Frank's Kitchen? Other?
There's a lot of Acadia love on this board but, after being numerous times, I just don't find the place itself to be special enough for a celebration. I also don't find the place, or most of its clientele, to be on the hip side. If you can make due without the hip, I'd certainly suggest Splendido on a Thursday or Saturday - Wonderful food, arguably the best service in the city, and pretty lively on these days.
For a hipper feel, by my interpretation, I'd suggest The Saint, Chantecler, Woodlot, and Yours Truly if you're a bit more open minded.
French Quarter Fest 2012
http://www.fqfi.org/frenchquarterfest/fqfi_food.html
What are the favourites, hits, and misses from this year's lineup?
Grand Electric
Agreed! I like the food and concept, but will never go out of my way to eat there. We jokingly call it General Electric, and I am looking forward to trying out their new patio this summer.
Dickie Brennan's Boardroom
Thank you kindly for your responses.
As this is the first time in NOLA for most attending, I was hoping that the room itself and the view would add to the value. Can someone agree or disagree to that? If not, which establishment could provide a better opportunity on a Friday night?
Dickie Brennan's Boardroom
I am trying to organize a bachelor's dinner at Dickie Brennan's. Our party is only 10 and they are asking for a $1500 minimum. Does this sound reasonable, is the place and food worth it, and would it still be worth it to pay a little more if we don't eat and drink that much?
Thanks in advance.
Edible Delivery on Valentine's Day
I'm out of the country this year, and would like to send an edible treat to my girlfriend. Does anyone have any ideas for something special, delicious, and local? The one caveat is that I cannot use a phone and will have to place my order online.
Thanks!
Yours Truly - new restaurant on Ossington
Like I said...reminds me of L.A.B., except this really works for me.
Our desert was like a super dense coffee cake with roasted apple and candied muesli on top. The whole thing was covered with about 3 inches of whipped buttermilk, which I thought really worked. There were a few at our table who weren't as into it , but every bowl turned up empty.
Yours Truly - new restaurant on Ossington
Agreed. I'm trying to say more refined. It's nice to appreciate an entire dish as a whole, as well as the individual components on their own, along with their inter-connectedness and contrasts in flavour, texture, and temperature. Not everyone tastes food in the same way, which is why I could see some appreciating or detesting this food for different reasons than others.
FD, have you had the salad? If not, try it, and choose to agree or disagree with me then.
Yours Truly - new restaurant on Ossington
I'm going to disagree with the past two posters here. My meal at Yours Truly over the weekend was a great experience, as six diners left very content with their meal. Not to put down anyone's taste, I feel like this restaurant will be more appreciated for those with a finer palette.
I found the spinach to be one of the freshest bites, and was a wonderful palette cleanser. Although it was not described to us either, I'm thinking the dollop was either a buttermilk or creme fraiche hit with a bit more acid, and that the "red salt" described above was actually crackling dust (YUM). Both of these components made the spinach itself taste spectacularly clean, like an injection of chlorophyll.
I'll say the "trout" dish was equally as simple and impressive. Pairing hazelnut and bok choy really worked for me, and I'll be using it in my own home cooking from now on. The trout had a perfectly crisp skin and was cooked to perfection, atop what seemed to be an affected brown butter sauce - This was divine.
Sure, the "salad" was my least favourite of the four main dishes, but I think all that was lacking was some punch. Perhaps a few drops of a spicy chili sauce, preferably orange scotch bonnet.
There's a lot more to be said about the experience, but I don't want to spoil the whole thing. Go with an open mind and palette, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. I want to say that this restaurant compares most with what L.A.B. was doing when they first opened a few years back, except that Yours Truly is pushing similar boundaries while also following through on execution.
With an ever-changing menu, there are surely to be hits and misses along the way. That said, I'm definitely looking forward to what my next experience will bring at Yours Truly.
Help me decide.....someplace new and exciting
I've been to all of these places in the last few months, with my first trip to Yours Truly being last night. I just don't know that I would consider any of these options to be both exciting and special. Campagnolo may come the closest, yet, food-wise, I'd only put them into the middle of this pack.
I might best agree with your last post. Use dining date night and do Splendido right for a very special evening...some may even call their game and truffle tastings exciting!
OMI sans John Lee?
John left OMI in the fall, and I'm wondering if anyone has visited since?
If so, did you notice any differences to the menu and quality?
Chowhounds best 10 Resturants in GTA - 2012 version
No particular order...
Beast
Guu Bloor
Frank's Kitchen
Zen
Omi
Parts & Labour (I know!)
Elle M'a Dit
Agave Y Aguacate
Grand Electric
The Atlantic
Bloke & 4th
Has anyone visited this new spot, brought to us by The Food Dudes?
I have a reservation for tomorrow, but the sample menu I'm looking at seems super scatter-brained and their prices also seem quite high.
Fresh or frozen currants in Toronto
Does anyone know where I could find currants, this time of year, that are either fresh or frozen?
Thanks in advance!
Grand Electric
The wait is about 45 minutes to an hour and a quarter on a busy night. The place probably holds 35-40. Bad weather is probably your best bet to walk right in, as I did my first time there. (insert hipster bashing here)
Anybody Know The Ingredients For A Martha Stewart Grown Up Grilled Cheese Sandwich?
Because stoves vary in heat, the oil ensures that the butter doesn't burn.
Anybody Know The Ingredients For A Martha Stewart Grown Up Grilled Cheese Sandwich?
Really? Get some confidence in the kitchen!
Use your ingredients as you've listed from the bottom up. A seasoned pear puree spread on top would take this sandwich to another level.
Preheat your oven to 375.
Spread the outsides of your sandwich bread with soft butter.
Assemble your sandwich, making sure to grate your Gruyere.
Using an oven safe pan, coat with a small amount of olive oil at med/high on the stove.
Cook the sandwich on one side for 4 minutes and flip over for 2 minutes, before putting the pan in the oven for an additional 5-8 minutes.
Tada!
Casual but trendy Leslieville Bar
All of these places are great for a fun night with the right people, although I wouldn't consider any of them trendy.
Casual Dinner in the Annex?
Grapefruit Moon has good options and good enough food at decent fare. There's nothing fancy about this tiny spot, a few blocks north of Bloor on Bathurst, but it does have a certain casual charm.
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The Grapefruit Moon
968 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5R3G6, CA
2011 Food and Resto CLOSINGS
Adding Tomi Kro and Carpano to the list.
Unfortunately, I just discovered Carpano last month, and have been telling friends it was one of the last actually mid-ranged spots in town for a decent meal.
Personally, I hadn't had a good meal at Tomi Kro in a few years. I think the expansion, combined with the competition of 20 new restaurants opening within the last three years, lead to their demise.
George or Acadia
I'm with you, Est. Spent just like you, left content, but am in no rush to return. The shrimp and grits is the only dish I recall ordering and the place is just too bare bones for a special night out.
Birthday Resto in the Annex
Yes, they take reservations. (it's been about a year now)
Birthday Resto in the Annex
Torito is a good bday place, and not too far on Augusta.
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Torito
276 Augusta Ave, Toronto, ON M5T2L9, CA
Birthday Resto in the Annex
Guu is by far your best bet. Have one friend go 45 minutes early to place the reservation and give them a phone number. I've never waited longer that that with a group of eight, and it's by far the best birthday experience in the Annex.
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Guu
398 Church Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2A2, CA
